Step Right Up to the Wardrobe
The Costumes of Charity Barnum
This was the show I had been looking forward to all summer: Barnum—the story of the world’s greatest showman. As a fan of period pieces and the magic of the circus, I knew this production would be a full-blown spectacle as big as the company could get away with. Of course, I expected dazzling sets and bold performances, but it was the costumes that truly had the power to tie everything together. I was ready for an incredible ride, convinced this would be one of the most enjoyable shows of my career. Little did I know, Barnum would push me harder than any show I’d ever worked on before.
I was assigned to make the costumes for Charity Barnum — the heart and soul of the Barnum family. As the steady force behind P.T. Barnum’s wild ambition, Charity played a vital role in his success. Her character exudes both grace and strength, and her costumes needed to reflect that balance with elegance and authority.
Costume designer Tiffany Howard used a rich palette of earthy browns to tell Charity’s story. Shades chosen to evoke simplicity, warmth, and quiet dignity. Charity’s costumes consisted of four pieces: a vest, skirt, a matching waistcoat, and an elegant formal jacket. Separate pieces speaking a silent language, reminding not only the audience, but her husband that beneath the spectacle, the most sensational of all needs, is family.
Because the costumes were period pieces and we had less than five weeks to complete them, there simply wasn’t enough time to draft the patterns from scratch. Instead, we pulled existing sewing patterns that matched the show's era and aesthetic. Once the sizing was determined and the pattern pieces were cut, I created a mock-up to test the fit.
Once the adjustments were made it was time to cut into the fabric, a moment that usually brings on a wave of anxiety for me. But this time was different. Sure, there were nerves, but it passed quickly. With the weight of the workload ahead and no time to hesitate, I took a deep breath... and just cut.
I started with the matching skirt and waistcoat. After the skirt was cut, it was distributed to a member of the team for sewing. It was nine panels sectioned to shape at the waist and hips and widen at the hem. Cinching it with just enough room to fit a petticoat and pantaloon undergarments. The waistcoat had two curved darts on the front and a three panel back, which shaped into the classic very fitted bodice of that time.
To achieve a more tailored look, the entire bodice was flatlined with a heavyweight fabric to add structure. However, this also introduced extra bulk at the darts and seams, which had to be carefully trimmed down to make sewing more manageable. But unfortunately, despite my efforts, I was not able to reduce the bulk at the sleeve cap hems.
The original design featured a single petal sleeve, but after evaluating the mock-up, it was decided to add a second petal undersleeve for a bit of extra flair, resulting in a beautiful design detail. However, this also added some unavoidable bulk where the petals met the sleeve hem which not even I could fix. Sorry, Charity, I tried (sad face).
After a few days of work, I finally reached that moment when everything began to come together. Then, it was time to prep for the first fitting and shift focus to the next piece: her formal jacket. While creating the mock-up, the one feature that stood out to me was the box pleat at the center back. This would become my favorite detail out of all her costumes.
Crafted from what I think was Dupioni, or a fabric quite similar, this material had an undeniably elegant quality. Its soft, golden hue had a subtle iridescence, giving the impression of a luxurious silk jacket fitting for a lady of refined taste. Sadly, in the rush to meet my deadline, I forgot to take photos at the beginning construction stages as it came together.
Since the jacket would be worn over the skirt Charity wears throughout the show, we used that same fabric to visually tie the two pieces together. This coordinating fabric was featured on the inside of the box pleat, on the added sleeve cuffs, and the inner front panels, where it folds outward in the most elegant way.
The tailoring of this jacket was quite easy. It was decided it would only be flatlined on the bodice front and back and end at the waist so the skirt and the sleeves of the jacket would not weigh it down. Needless to say, I was very happy with that decision. The biggest challenge I faced while creating this garment was at the center front. I hadn’t extended the fabric enough to successfully make it a button closure, so I had to insert a placket.
For the final piece of Charity’s costume, I created a vest using the same pattern as the waistcoat but altered it around the neckline and the armseye. Again, I forgot to take any photos since it was the last piece, and time was running out fast.
Initially, we planned to only use the outer fabric and lining. Except, during the first fitting, the fabric proved too flimsy and began to stretch. As a result, we decided to add sew-in interfacing for added structure. By the second fitting, we realized that still wasn’t enough, so it was decided to take the entire vest apart and flatline the garment with a heavyweight fabric to achieve the look we wanted. To finish this garment, we passed on the burrito method and opted to bias around the entire unfinished ends.
By this point, I was feeling the pressure of the show. With only one week left until load-in, my garments were still unfinished. While the pieces were mostly assembled, they still needed the final touches – trims, closures, bias, hems. On top of that, this wasn’t my only assignment. In addition to Charity Barnum, I was assigned to pattern and cut a vest for P.T. Barnum, a unitard for one of the circus performers, and patterning a bodice and front lapel for a vest coat for an ensemble blues singer. And, we still had to embellish the costumes for the circus performers. The pressure was mounting, and I was feeling the heat. The last thing I wanted was to head into tech week without a finished costume for my actor.
Thankfully, I managed to complete all four garments the night before tech began. While they still needed pressing and a few closure adjustments, my time was up. I had to let them go and trust the rest to the costume Gods. Now our focus was on circus costumes.
Although the main costumes were finished, we still had to sew on appliqués and gold trims for the circus garments, which, to me, was the fun part. But during tech week, there are always notes. So, while we were adding the final decorative touches, we were also racing to keep up with daily alterations and additions coming out of the tech runs.
The day before opening night, I cried. I cried because it was almost over, and because I was completely exhausted. We still had one more day of notes ahead of us, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could give. I had never juggled so many builds and responsibilities in a single show. I had never worked so quickly to get everything completed. And I had never been harder on myself than I was this time. I was an emotional mess.
At one point, I even considered skipping opening night – like one of my peers said, I needed a “Barnum detox”. But thanks to some gentle and well-meaning peer pressure, I decided to go, and I’m so glad I did. There’s nothing like seeing it all come together: the costumes, hair, makeup, the sets, and lighting. Knowing you contributed to making it all possible. At that moment, all of your hard work, all your time and effort, seeing the actor give life to your costumes, makes it all worth it.
And now that we’re open, I have notes. The costumes in this production were the best I’ve ever seen. An effort that is not achieved by only one person. I’m so proud to be a part of this team and so proud of what I was able to accomplish in such a short time. And perhaps in true Barnum fashion, I was hoodwinked into thinking this experience would be all fun and games. Well, jokes on you, P.T. Barnum, because despite the chaos and total pandemonium of your three-ring production, this turned out to be the most rewarding show I’ve ever worked on. I can’t help but wonder, though…maybe, just maybe, that was Charity’s plan from the very beginning.